Improvement in mowers



5 Sheets-*Sheet 3. J. HARRIS.

Mower.

No. 200,289. Patented Fe'b. 12,1878.

Wit/waar ed. l v Inv@whre N. PEI'ERS. FHO-UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D. C.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5; K

J. HARRIS.

Mower.

ivm-200,289. Patented Feb., s2, @8778.

- a sectional elevation of l Fig. 17, a partial UNITED STATES IPATENTOEEIcE...

JAMES HARRIS, OF JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN.

i IMPROVEMENT IN MOWERS..

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 200,289. dated February12, 18785 application filed v April 1, 1876.

To all whom it may concer-1i:

A Be it known that I, J AMES HARRIS, of J anesville,in the county ofRock and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Harvesters; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full andexact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The invention consists, mainly, first, in the combination, with aturning drag-bar, of a sectional lever, having a detachable or foldingportion 5 and, second, in the combination, with the knife-bar, of asliding gravity-hook, for retaining .the knife-bar in place when the baris folded.

It further consists in certain other combinations and certain details ofconstruction, which, in connection with the foregoing, will be fullydescribed hereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my Aimprovedharvester with the cutter-bar in section 5 Fig. 2, a plan view with thecutter-bar folded; vation of the same5 Fig. 4, view, in elevation, ofthetongue-iron and its connections 5 Figs. 5, 6, and7, views ofthe-pitman-joint 5 Fig.y 8, the yfolding ylever 5 Figs. 9, 10, and ll,views of the sliding hook for holding the cutter-bar5vFigs. 12, 13, 14,15, and 16, views of the clutch mechanism;

plan view of the frame reversed 5 and Fig. 18, a perspectiveview of therod for holding the cutter-bar in its folded position.

.To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, Iwill now proceed to describe fully its construction and manner ofoperation.

For convenience and clearness of description, the separate mechanisms.'will be described under different heads, as follows: First, thedrag-bar and the devices which make it cap-able of turnin g when thecutter-bar is folded;

second, `the folding lever and its combination with the turningdrag-bar; third, the knifebar, and the sliding hook which holds it inplace when the cutter-bar is folded-5 fourth,

the variable shoe or runner; iifth, the pitmanjoint 5 sixth, otherdetails of construction.

First. The drag-bar and the devices which Fig. 3, a vrear-end eleceiveand hold the eyebolta, Fig. 1, having a bearing-shoulder, al, washer a2,and a fastening-pin, a?, as shown.

B represents a bar or plate, forming the drag-bar proper, which isloosely held at its front end by the eyebolt ain such manner as topermit its rear end to have free vertical `movement, and is provided atits rear end with standards or ears b, having bearings, as shown. Brepresents a bar or shoe, Which is provided at its front end with .ahorizontal socket and with the projecting arm or standard bl, and at itsrear end with a suitable recess for holding the inner end of thecutterbar. b2 represents a pivot-pin, by means of which the shoe anddrag-bar are united.

C represents a lever, and C a rack, adapted to hold the lever in anydesired position, the special construction of both of which will behereinafter described. c represents a connecting-bar, by means of whichthe lower end of the lever is united .to the upper end of the standardor arm b1, as shown.

I), Fig..1 and Fig. 1b,represents a casting,

suitably secured to the shoe at any proper point, which is providedwiththe ear or standard d, having a convex projection, d', as

shown.

E, Figs. 2 and 2f, represents a casting suitably secured ,to the mainframe at any proper point, which is provided with .a similar convexprojection, c., as shown.

F represents a brace-bar, constructed of proper length and suitablematerial, which is provided at its ends with concave recesses adapted tobear upon the convex projections of the castings, before described. Theopposite faces of the bar are also made convex, as shown.

f represents through proper brace-bar and the castings, against whichthey bear, which is provided with any suitable shank, but with a headhaving a concave face .a bolt, adapted to project openings in the endsofthe -f upon its inner side, adapted to bear against the correspondingsurface of the brace-bar, as shown. This bolt is secured by nuts in anyproper manner.

The operation of these parts is substantially as follows The drag-bar,by means of its construction, is adapted to have a double movement-thatis, it may be adjusted at its rear end in a vertical direction, for thepurpose of tilting-the shoe to roll the cutter-bar, or it may be turnedon a horizontal axis, to permit the rigidly-attached cutter-bar to -befolded.

The operation of tilting or rolling the cutter-bar has been described inan application coincident with this, and it will not be referred to indetail here.

The operation of turning will be readily understood. When the cutter-baris folded, the shoe and drag-bar turn freely with it, this movementbeing permitted at one end by the eyebolt a, which turns freely in itssocket, and at the other by the pivot-bolt of the brace-bar and casting.By means of the construction described it is possible to locate theactuatinglever at one end, out of the way of the drivewheel. It ispossible, also, by means of this special construction, to cause thecentral parts, by proper adjustment of the lever, to lie close together,so as to occupy little space in turn- Second. The folding-lever and itscombination with the turning drag-bar: C, Figs. l, 2, and 8, representsa lever attached to the turning drag-bar, near its front end, which isadapted, as before stated, to adjust the rear end of the drag-bar forthe purpose of rolling the cutter bar. c1 represents its shank or mainportion, suitably pivoted at the proper point to the rack-casting C',and attached at its lower end to the adjustable connecting-rod o, asshown.

o2 represents an opening for holding the spring-bolt c3, which isadapted, when free to act,l to press the projection c4 of the lever intothe proper recess of the rack-casting, and securely hold it againstaccidental displacement.

c5 represents a bend in the upper part of the lever, by means of whichits upper portion, attached thereto, is inclined into a convenientposition for operation by the driver. c6 represents a socket, and 0"' aninclined face, forming the termination of the shank or main portion. crepresents the handle or upper portion of the lever, consisting of asuitablyshaped bar, provided at its lower end with ears, by means ofwhich and a suitable pivotpinit is hinged to the socket of the shank. e9represents a spring -bolt, provided at its lower end with adouble-inclined face, adapted to engagey with the corresponding face c7of the shank when the handle of the lever is brought to its properposition, and also to release itself automatically when force is eX-erted upon the lever to fold it.

C represents the rack, consisting of a casting of any proper form,rigidly secured to the drag-bar, which is provided with a proper slot`for guiding and holding the spring-bolt c3, and also with a series ofteeth adapted `to hold the lever in any desired position in the usualwell-known manner. This casting, it will be observed, is stronglysecured to the drag-bar, and is so located as to most advantageouslytake the strain incidental to the contact of the hinged portion of thelever with the frame when the cutter-bar is folded.

The operation of these parts is substantially as follows: The lever isadjusted in either direction for rolling the cutter-bar up or down, andis held in any desired position by means of the rack-casting and thespring-bolt. When the cutter-bar is folded and the drag-bar consequentlyturned, the lever is caused to fold itself automatically, as shown inFig. 2, by

the contact of its hinged end with the frame,

or some relatively-fixed portion of the harvester, the spring-boltdsengaging itself from the termination of the shank withoutl attentionof any kind. When the cutter-bar is unfolded again the lever may berestored to its normal condition by simplyturning the hinged part backto its place, when the spring-bolt will unite the two parts together.

Third. The knife-bar and the sliding hook which holds it in place: G,Figs. 9 and 10, represents the knife-bar, of the usual wellknown orother proper construction, which is held by the finger-bar g and-theoperatingpitman, in the usual manner. gl represents a casting secured-to the finger -bar, near its inner end, which is provided upon itsbearingface with a recess, g2, located at an angle tol the line of themovement of the knife-bar, as shown. g3 represents a shoulder projectinginto the recess, which is adapted to limit the downward movement of thesliding hook. g4 represents the sliding hook, consisting of a plate orbar adapted to move in a longitudinal direction in the recess, andprovided at one end'` with the hook proper g5, and at the other with theprojection g, adapted to strike against the limitingshoulder of therecess at the proper time and check further movement. g" represents astud or pin projecting at right angles from the face of the hook, bymeans of which it may be moved by the hand, if desired.

The operation of these parts is as follows: When the folding of the finger-bar takes pl ace., the knife-bar, unless specially held, is free toslip down and cause trouble. With the construction described, however,this difficulty is avoided. The sliding hook, moving down its inclinedrecess in advance of the knife-bar,.and projecting into the line of themovement of the latter, consequently furnishes a stop, which arrests itsmovement and holds it securely in place.

Fourth. The variable runner: H,Figs. l, 2, and 3, represents a runner,consisting of a suitable metal plate, which, at its front end, is sobent as to hook over the socket of the joint, and also, at its rear end,is bent -in such manner as to form aright-angled termination, as shown,the vertical part being provided with a series of openings, by means ofwhich `it-may be secured to the casting at different heights. By meansofthe construction described, the front end of the shoe protects thesame from being caught in its.,

movement over the ground. L v

Fifth. The pitman-joint: I, Figs. 5, 6, and 7, represents the pitman,which receives its proper reciprocating movement in any suitable mannerfrom any proper source. 'i represent spring-bars, which form that end ofthe lpitman which is attached tothe knife-bar,

one of which is provided upon its inner face witha convex projection,z", and the-otheru-pon its adjacent face with a concave recess,-z,

as shown. 3 represents a disk, rigidly atitached to the knife-bar in anyproper manner,

which is made semi-spherical inform, so` as to be adapted to rest-between the corresponding faces of the spring-arms, as shown.l t4represents a securing-bolt, which' is adapted, by means of its nut, todraw the spring-arms closely together, and clamp the` intermediate diskof the knife-bar. l. 5 represents anut-lock,

held in place by theouter nut i6, by means of which the inner nut isprevented from turning..

Sixth: The rod for holding` the cutter-bar when folded: J, Figs. 2, 3,and`13, represents a rod adapted to properlyhold the cutter-barwhen inits folded position, which is loosely pivoted at one end to thebrace-bar, and held at the other by means of a removable eyebolt, asshown. When it is desired to use the same, the bolt is removed from itsplace in the brace-bar by un-- screwing its nut, and then the rod isattached to the cutter-bar by inserting its shank in the proper openingj, as shown, and replacing the nut, this being done without detachin'gthe bolt from the rod. By this means the bar is properly held whenfolded, and at other times the rod is conveniently carried on thebracebar without danger of being lost.

It will be observed, also, that when the cutter-bar is folded, as shownin Fig. 3, it will be so united to the bracebar by the rod J that thethree parts may move together independently of the frame, so that if thelifting-lever becomes detached from any cause, these parts' may fall tothe ground without injury to the rod, which, if secured to the frame,would probably be bent or broken.

K, Figs. 1, 2, and 4, represents the pole of the machine, pivoted in anyproper manner to the front end of the frame. This pole is, preferably,attached, however, by means of an intermediate casting, 7c, providedwith a suitable bearing-surface for. the rear end of the pole, and ears,by means of whichit is hinged to the frame, as shown. It represents aniron bolted to the rear end of the pole, which, extending in a rearwarddirection, is provided, at or near its -rear end, with a stud, k2, asshown.V

- L represents a casting, secured to the frame in any proper manner,,which serves to support the vdrivers seat, as shown, and is providedwith a pendent arm or ear, l, Fig. 4, having an opening adapted to hohlthe stud of the arm, as shown. A'

l1, Figs. 1 and 2,.represents acatch, adapted to hold the end of theraising-lever Z2, as shown. By means of this construction the arm is sosecuredas to lock, upon the inside of the front beam ofthe frame, thepole, which is pivoted upon the outside.

M, Figs. 2 and 17, represents the frame of theharvester, consisting of apiece of angleiron, of suitable length, bent into the proper f quadrangular form, and secured at its adjacent ends by riveting or other propermeans.

,N represents a journal-box, provided Wlth angular bearing-surfaces, asshown, which are adapted to cover the joint in the frame, and unite,either alone or in connection with other means, the adjacent endstogether. n also represents a journal-box, located at the opposite endof the frame, and attached thereto in any proper manner.

O represents a shaft, adapted to operate the pitman of the cutter-bar,which is held by the journal-boxes `N n, and consequently lies intheangle ofthe frame, as shown.

Some ofthe advantages. of the described vconstruction are as follows:.By making the frame of angle-iron,y great strength and rigidity areobtained with little material, and also convenientvertical andhorizontal surfaces are furnished, to 'which the auxiliary parts may bereadily attached.

By locating one of the journal-boxes at the joint, and providing it withangular bearingsurfaces, as described, the frame is greatly strengthenedat its Weakest point. The location of the shaft, also, within the angleof the frame is advantageous, as the parts are compactly arranged, andspace is economized.

P, Figs. 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16, represents a clutch-box, rigidly fixedto the main shaft or axle, which is provided on its inner periphery withthe usual series of clutch-teeth p, adapted to en gage with thespringpawl upon the main Wheel, in the usual well-known manner.

p represents an auxiliary series of clutchteeth, located/on the innervertical face ofthe clutch-box, which teeth are arranged in a positionthe reverse of that of the clutch-teethp, and hence are adapted to give,when in operation, revolution to a pawl in a forward direction.

rEhis inner series of clutch-teeth is adapted, when the machine is usedas a reaper, and the main wheel is consequently removed, to

give movement to a chain-wheel adapted toA ing answers the doublepurpose of a clutch, for

driving the main shaft of the mower, and also for driving the rake ofthe reaper when the drive-wheels are removed and placed together.

By means of the various details described the construction issimpliiied, and the efficiency of the harvester increased.

I do not limit myself to the precise construction shown and described.Various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit ofmy invention. For instance, if desired, the upper portion of the lever Gmay be detached, when the drag-baris folded, by

removing its pivot-pini; or it may be folded A combination with therecess having` a limitin l shoulder, as described.

parallel with the drag-bar, if desired, instead of at right angles to it5 and when this is practiced the devices for making its action autotherunner H, the drag-bar B, the rear end of Awhich projects beyond thefront end of the i shoe and protects the same, as described.

matic may be dispensed with.

Instead of using the spring-bolt, a simple spring may be used toaccomplish the same purpose.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with a turning drag-bar, a sectional lever, having adetachable or folding` portion, as described.

2. [n combination with the lever G and foldl 9th day of March, 1876..and the connecting-rod c, pivoted to lower end l of lever C, and abovethe drag-bar to the arm t b, the construction being such that when the ilever is properly operated the arm bl and rear t end of bar c may becaused to approach the 1 drag-bar, to avoid contact with the wheel in ging drag-bar B, the shoe B', having arm b1,

folding, substantially as described.

3. In combination with a folding lever and a harvester-frame, adaptedtoarrest the movements of the hinged portion of the lever and fold thesame, a rack-bar, C', substantially as described, adapted to take thestrain when the lever strikes the frame, substantially as described.

4. In combination withV the lever portion cl, provided with the inclinedface c7, the lever portion o8, provided with the spring -bolt c, havingthe double-inclined face, as described.

5. In combination withareciprocating knifebar, a sliding hook,adapted toact automatic ally by gravity, to prevent said knife-bar from slidingfrom its bearings when the cutter-bar is folded, substantially asdescribed.

6. The combination of a sliding hook with a casting having au inclinedrecess, adapted to guide it into the line of the movement of theknife-bar, substantially as described.

7. The hook having a limiting-projection, in

8. In combination with the runner B and 9. In combination with thebrace-bar F the ,pivoted rod J, attached thereto, substantially s asdescribed, the construction being such that :when the cutter-bar isfolded the brace-bar, cutter-bar, and securing-rod are capable of beingmoved Itogether independently ofthe frame.

This specification signed and witnessed this JAMES HARRIS.

Witnesses PLINY Noncnoss, FENNER KIMBALL.

